Bridger's Folly
by TheRealAbbey
Summary: We all have moments, and sometimes they happen when things are worse than they first appear


**Bridger's Folly**

**Summary:** We all have moments, and sometimes they happen when things are worse than they first appear.

**Rating:** NC-17

**Fandom:** _seaQuest_

**Tags:** Third season

Nathan Bridger, retired Captain of the UEO navy's SeaQuest DSV, was late.

Since his retirement 6 months ago, he'd been working closely with the UEO's scientific communities. In particular, he'd become good friends with Doctor Julie Carrison. Although he was meant to be meeting her today, his launch had been held up outside the colony due to a lock down. As he exited the hatch from the launch, he watched the rush of the staff in the makeshift hospital curiously.

"Hey," he called out to the petit blonde woman in the white overcoat.

Dr Julie Carrison turned around abruptly and sighed with her entire body, "Nathan, sorry I was going to call. It's just, someone asked me.."

Nathan shook his head as he walked over, "Oh no, it's fine. I figured something had happened here when I saw all the security around the colony."

"Yes," she told him, "There was a raid and several pirates trashed the domestic areas of the colony. Thank God I wasn't here to see it."

"Well that's explains why there's a make-shift hospital. What are _you_ doing?" Bridger asked her. Julie was doctor of physics, not of medicine.

She shrugged, "However much I can. Most of these people are in pain and terrible distress. It helps to just try to support them."

Nathan nodded looking around, "I feel like I should help too."

Dr Carrison looked at him, in an odd but wary way and sighed, "Nathan.. I think it'd be better if you left and if I met you outside somewhere. Let me finish up here, I'll get cleaned up."

As she turned away he grabbed her arm, "No, you're doing a good thing here. We should stay."

She looked at him with concern, "Nathan," she said gently. She paused for a moment unsure what to say, "In the next room is a young boy. He's lying in his own blood. He's in agony," she said, "Those pirates, they tortured him. They broke every bone in both his hands and crushed the bones in his legs in several places."

"My God," Nathan breathed, "What kind of pirates torture civilians?"

"He wasn't a civilian," before he could react she added, "They're trying to set his bones. He's in terrible pain. We don't need to be here for all this," she took his arm, "Come on, Nathan."

Nathan was about to agree when a younger woman opened the door between them and the next room, "Julie," she called, "Could you do me another favour?" Dr Carrison took her hand off Nathan's arm and turned around to face her.

The woman continued, "I haven't had time to notify the SeaQuest," the younger doctor said, "Could you contact UEO headquarters? We're just about to take the kid into surgery."

The first thing that entered Nathan Bridger's mind when he heard the words "kid" and "SeaQuest" was his everything-but-adopted-son, Lucas. It took his a few moments to correlate his Lucas with what Julie had been before telling him about a boy who had been tortured.

When he did make the correlation he felt his head spun so painfully he felt dizzy, "What kid?" his mouth felt like it was filled with peanut butter as he said it. 'Don't let it be Lucas,' he thought weakly.

The look on her face told him that at least _she_ thought it was; even if she'd only ever heard about Lucas through Nathan - and she had known all along. Bridger didn't even feel Carrison try to stop him as he flew into the next room. There was a child, writing on a bloody mattress near the centre of the next room. Bridger felt a split-second of genuine relief as he saw the boy's face. He was much too pale and young to be Lucas. But, as the boy's eyes flashed open while he lay breathless and weeping, Bridger felt gut wrenching pain tear through him. He'd know those penetrating blue eyes anywhere. The tattered but familiar SeaQuest uniform was just a horrible confirmation.

He felt Carrison's hand try to take his arm gently to lead him out of the room but he resisted. He felt his heart jump as Lucas screamed when someone touched his leg. He found himself standing near the cart, looking down at Lucas, unable to remember how he actually got over there. He realised Lucas was looking right at him. "Lucas," he breathed through his own nausea, "Oh my God.." Bridger heard himself cry.

"Captain!" Lucas gasped.

Bridger couldn't tell if he was surprised but he grabbed his upper arm tight, "It's alright, kiddo. I'm here now." He could see Lucas was in tremendous pain, and he himself felt more horribly helpless than he ever had in his life.

"Wh..what are you doing here?" the teenager forced out. Bridger put his hand on the side of Lucas' face without realising what he was doing.

Before he could answer, a man looking to be Bridger's age and wearing a white coat walked over, "Excuse me, I'm going to have to ask you to leave."

Bridger looked at the man pleadingly, "I can't just leave him here. Who's going to stay with him?"

"He'll be going into emergency surgery in a few minutes," the man told him, running out of patience. He put his hand on Bridger's arm, "Now if you could just..."

Nathan Bridger was getting desperate. He felt Lucas sob in agony beside him while he still held his arm tightly, "Can't I just stay are for those minutes?" Nathan tried diplomatically, "Until he's unconscious," he clarified.

The doctor shook his head, "We need to set his legs."

"What, during surgery?"

"Now."

The only sound the retired Captain could hear was Lucas, groaning in pain. Bridger scoffed in disbelief, "You don't need to do that to him..."

"We don't have much time, there are other patients..."

"I don't care," Bridger told him severely, "I'm staying and I want him given something for the pain." Nathan stared the doctor down, "Now."

A new voice joined the conversation. "This boy is an officer in the UEO navy. He was tortured protecting civilians. Don't fast track his medical treatment; we are not that short staffed."

Bridger looked at Dr Carrison appreciatively and then back at Lucas who was barely able to pay attention to the conversation around him. No one said anything. Out of the corner of his eye, Nathan could see the young woman who'd spoken to them earlier indicate to the doctor with her head. Bridger watched Lucas squeeze his eyes closed tightly against the pain and he stroked the teenager's forehead gently, feeling how warm it was. The doctor left as did the few onlookers, and Dr Carrison walked over, "Apparently the SeaQuest is nearby. I'm told they'll be picking him up after surgery; I guess they have appropriate medical facilities."

Nathan realised that more time must have passed than he realised if she'd already had time to call UEO headquarters. The young female doctor entered the room again, "Julie," they both looked up, "We're having some nurses attend to him soon, we'll get him pumped full of morphine."

Julie nodded, "Thank you," as an after-thought she added, "Do you think you can spare it?"

The woman put her hands in her coat pocket as she turned to leave, "We can spare it."

After she left, Nathan looked at Carrison, "My God, what do you think they'd have done to him if we weren't here?"

Julie didn't answer him but instead just looked at the breathless teenager.

Bridger turned and held Lucas' shoulder gently, "Do you know how proud I am of you?"

Lucas tried to chuckle and closed his eyes, "Thanks.. um.. do you know when that morphine is coming?" his voice cracked at the end.

"I'll see what's going on," Julie said.

Bridger held Lucas' hand tighter as she left, "Its coming, kiddo."

Lucas closed his eyes, "Thank you."

And so, as Bridger stroked his hair, he vowed never to let his bond with Lucas come close to slipping away again... and they all lived happily ever after. The end. :)


End file.
